1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to electronic devices having security features associated therewith and particularly to digital cards employed in digital cameras or computers with security features deterring unauthorized use thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Digital cameras have enjoyed remarkable notoriety, over the past recent years, by a variety of users, such as general electronics consumers, professional photographers and others requiring electronic photograph storage. Some particular areas of growth for the digital camera have been the law enforcement, government and insurance companies. These entities generally require fairly strict security for various reasons in their use of digital cameras.
Digital cameras store images or pictures in electronic form on digital cards. CompactFlash cards are examples of such digital cards operating under the governance of certain standards, as outlined by the Compact Flash Standard. Cards manufactured for digital cameras generally employ nonvolatile or FLASH memory so as to maintain storage of photos even when power is disconnected.
As the need for security has increased tremendously over the last few years, so has the need to increase security vis-à-vis the use of digital cards for digital cameras. Not only is this long-felt need essential for a digital camera, it is also essential for computers and any other electronic device within which a digital card is employed.
In light of the foregoing, it is desirable to develop a secure electronic device, such as a digital camera/card system, to deter unauthorized use of the digital card in unauthorized cameras, computers and/or other such devices.